Lost & Found
by RachaelRawr
Summary: Edward and Bella are two very different people who live a similar lifestyle. One of crime. What happens when they are thrown together and have to work as a team to survive and stay out of jail? AU/AH/OOC.
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer : Twilight belongs Stephenie Meyer, not me. I'm just borrowing her characters for a bit.**_

_I'm from Scotland so my American geography isn't really up to scratch. I know states and some cities but otherwise I pretty much draw a blank. For that most place's will be fictional. I would research and try and get everything right but that would take a lot of time and I have another fiction on the go and a rather hectic personal life so I hope you'll forgive me for that reason._

**Prologue.**

The Washington State Court was a grand building. Extremely large, with in detail architecture. It had seen more than its fair share of large cases and was revered by the people of Washington.

Court room one was currently home to one of Washington's biggest cases. The woman had put up a real fight about being sent down, her last crime was committed eight months ago and only recently had it gone to trial. Isabella Swan was on trial for armed robbery and murder.

When you looked at her you would never think she was capable of murder. She was only twenty four, around five foot four inches, slight frame, dark, brown, curly hair that fell to the middle of her back, deep brown eyes and a heart shaped face. She looked young and innocent. Not haggard and guilt ridden like a murderer should be.

The jury had been shocked by her appearance, initially they had believed that the case they were hearing about could not be the one this girl was included in. But it was. Even the judge, who had worked in the courts for fifteen years , could hardly believe that this woman was capable of such heinous crimes.

"All rise."

The entire court room stood as the judge entered, and was seated.

"Please be seated." There was a loud rumble as the full courtroom took their seats.

"Isabella Swan." The judge called out clearly in a voice that rung with authority. "You are here today having been charged with armed robbery and the murder of seven persons. How do you plead?"

Isabella Swan, who had been watching the dust flutter and glint through the stream of sunlight pouring through the window, turned her attention towards the judge. A beautiful smile graced her face as she answered his question.

"Not guilty," She stated, her voice both firm and proud. "Your honour." She added as an afterthought.

**A/N : So I know it's short but it's all that's needed for now. I didn't want to start posting this fic until I had it finished but I just got a little over excited and ahead of myself! It won't be updated super regularly as my other story 'Left Behind' also needs my attention, but I hope you'll all stick with it and enjoy it. It's not going to be a long fic, I reckon it'll be under ten chapters. Also with this one I'm not running blind like I am with Left Behind. I know exactly where this is going, I know what'll happen and how it will end so hopefully that will help when it comes to updating.**

**Review for major lovin'**

**Rachael x**


	2. An Introduction to Bella Swan

_**Disclaimer : Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just borrowing her characters for a little while.**_

_Hi everyone! So here's the first real chapter of Lost & Found! I hope you guys enjoy it and review! I've got a couple of little mentions to throw in here! First off, I finally got a beta! She's wonderful and made this chapter so much better! Her name's __**Naykate **__and I'm so glad I found her! Also a big thank you to my friend Krissy who pre-read the chapter and gave me a lot of confidence! Now, on with the story!_

_The songs for this chapter:_

_Katy Rose - Lemon. (Bella's childhood.)_

_30 Seconds to Mars - Beautiful Lie. (Filler.)_

_Yellow card - Breathing. (Bella running.)_

**An introduction to Bella Swan.**

I had never had what you would call a conventional up bringing. My mom left my father and me when I was four years old and the last I heard she was working as a ten-dollar hooker on the streets of Brooklyn, New York.

When she left, it devastated my father and turned him against himself. Charlie had loved Renee more than his own life. They were high school sweethearts who got married only a few short months after their graduation. Charlie had believed he was set for life. He hadn't taken into account that Renee's flighty tendencies might cause her to run from him.

A year after they got married, I was born. Charlie had fallen into the father routine easily. He adored me and doted on me every chance he got. Renee loved me too, but she saw me as more of a ... toy, one she could play with and dress up leaving the hard parts to my father.

I could still remember the night she left us. The night she left Forks, forever.

_I pulled the comforter up, over my head. They were arguing ... again. I didn't want to hear their angry words. It upset me. I could usually block them out, but not tonight. Tonight they were too loud._

"_No, Charlie! I've made up my mind. I'm leaving. I don't want this. I don't want to be stuck in the house all day, acting like a housewife, looking after a child and my husband. I want to be free to do my own thing. I'm twenty-four for fuck sake not forty-four. I have my entire life to live. And I don't want to live it with you!" Charlie was silent for a long time after her admission. I could hear her moving around, moving things, looking for things. She was packing her stuff._

"_Renee, don't do this. I don't care about what you feel or don't feel for me, but you can't leave Bella like this. She needs her mom."_

"_Bella will be fine. She's a good girl and you are a good father, Charlie. You'll take care of her." The sound of suitcase wheels rolling along the floor reached my ears. She was really leaving._

"_Renee, baby, please. I love you." My father sounded close to tears. I left my bed and padded across the landing as quietly as I could to the top of the stairs. They were both standing in the hallway, my mom with her hand on the door handle, Charlie had his back to me. She looked at him for a fraction of a second before replying with finality._

"_Goodbye, Charlie." She turned to leave, but before she made the full turn she saw me. Her eyes locked onto mine. I had some warped vision in my head that, if she actually saw me, she would realise how silly she was being and would just stay with us. Disney's fairytale endings had obviously already lodged themselves deep inside my mind._

_No such luck. Her stare was cold and devoid of love. As she continued to look at me, I felt the first tear escape. She shook her head and looked down to the floor, ending our connection, before finally opening the door and leaving through it._

_Charlie lent his head against the door and began to cry. I sat down on the top stair and let my own grief wash over me. I didn't really understand the magnitude of what had happened. All I knew was that mommy was gone and daddy, big, strong, brave daddy, was crying._

_Hearing my sobs, Charlie turned round and ran up the stairs, scooping me up into his arms and taking my seat on the top stair, keeping me in his lap._

"_Sshh, baby girl." He cooed. "Everything's going to be alright, daddy's never gonna leave you."_

But he had lied. He did leave me. He didn't leave me physically but mentally. It was the only way he had chosen to deal with his own grief.

To begin with, his poison was alcohol. I would leave for school and he would still be asleep, snoring in his bed. By the time I got home he would already have consumed a bottle of whisky, on a bad day it would be two.

He would spend his afternoons and evenings sitting on the couch watching any sports game he could find and mindlessly babbling to himself about anything and nothing. I would make him dinner, which I assumed would be his first, and last, meal of the day. He would eat some and then push the rest around the plate, before returning to the bottle of booze beside him.

As the years wore on and I moved up from elementary to middle school, the alcohol barely affected him anymore. He didn't feel numb enough. So he turned to a new release.

Heroin.

I made it half way through high school before I had to drop out. I turned to a life of pick pocketing and small robberies to fund my father's addiction. Without it he became an animal. He never hurt me, physically. But his mental lashings were like nothing I had ever experienced. My father had always been a gentle, kind and quiet man. But this drug, it changed him. He was aggressive towards everyone. Strangers couldn't look at him without being shouted at or punched in the face.

That's why I did what I did. I never told anyone. Nobody would understand. I was feeding his addiction, it would be fair to say that I was keeping him addicted. If I had stopped, he would have had no way to get his fix, I understood that that would have been better for him, but not for me.

I was small and fragile. If he'd snapped and beaten me, I probably wouldn't be here today. Charlie wasn't Charlie anymore. He wasn't my father. He was just some man that I kept comfortable and as safe as possible.

The older I got the more able I was to use my body as a tool to make more money. Before long I was going to Seattle every weekend and whoring myself out to everyone who was willing to take me. But at two hundred and fifty dollars a pop for five minutes of sweaty, unsatisfying debauchery to save me from a beating, it was worth it.

To say my life was hard would be an understatement. The streets were dangerous, filled with crazy people and just complete sicko's. Also, you could never be too careful with 'clients'. So I invested in something for myself, something to keep me safe.

A gun.

It was a beautiful little thing, really. Despite how dangerous it could be. A Walther PPK/S. It was black in color and just over four inches in height. I loved it, but, thankfully, I hadn't had a chance to use it yet.

Well sure I'd threatened a few people with it. There were always people who tried to overstep their boundaries. All I'd done was pull Walther slowly from the inside pocket of the leather jacket I always wore. It was all they needed to see and would back off. A couple of times it had earned me and extra couple of bucks. Maybe I should spook more people, even if they've done no wrong.

I came back to the present just as a very flashy car pulled up beside me. I put my hand on the roof and bent down to look in the window that was slowly being rolled down. Behind it was an alright looking guy. He was in his mid to late thirties with a full head of blonde hair and startling blue eyes. He had a bit of a paunch to him but that was nothing I couldn't deal with.

"Hi." He said somewhat lamely, I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. We both knew what he was after, why bother with the niceties?

"What can I do for you?" I asked in my best sex kitten voice. Like always I felt disgusted with myself.

"How much do you charge?" Good. He was being straight to the point. I hated all that beating around the proverbial bush.

"Two fifty for sex, seventy five for a blowjob and fifty for a hand job." I rolled off. He seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"I'll give you five hundred if you let me go down on you first." I thought it over. It didn't seem like an awful idea to be honest, and I could use the extra money.

"You've got a deal." I said smiling at him. I knew it wouldn't reach my eyes, it never did. He grinned back at me.

"Great, hop in." I did as was instructed and he set off before I'd even clicked my seatbelt into place. The car was quiet except for the hum of the engine. The silence was awkward but not unexpected for me.

"Where are we going?" I enquired.

"Just to a little motel round the corner." He said without looking at me. Ah the One Stop Motel. I'd found myself laying on my back in there more than a couple of times. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Jessica, you can just call me Jess if you prefer." I gave my fake name easily. It was the name of a girl I'd known since elementary school. She was a complete bitch. If clients went as far as to ask for a last name, I didn't hesitate to give them hers. She deserved it.

"That's a pretty name," He cooed at me, making my stomach roll. "I'm James." I simply nodded my head, he didn't need an answer and besides we had just rolled into a parking space in the motels lot.

He wrapped his arm around my waist as he met me at the front of the car and walked me towards the front doors and then the reception desk.

"Reservation for 'Hunter'?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." The spotty desk clerk replied, eyeing me slightly. "Mrs. Hunter is already up there so you and your … _friend_ can head on up." I resisted the childish urge to poke my tongue out at the little grease pot. He would never understand how much I needed this money. Hang on did he say …

"Mrs. Hunter?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. He merely shrugged and offered little explanation.

"She likes to watch." I probably should have been informed about this, but fuck it. It was done now. We walked in silence until we reached room six. James knocked the door softly and a stunning redhead in a robe, with, I presume, nothing under it, opened it quickly. The woman, who I took to be James' wife, was beautiful. Her long red hair looked like fire and her blue eyes looked like they could penetrate anyone's soul. She looked me up and down for a few moments before a glorious smile spread across her face.

"I'm Victoria, it's lovely to meet you …?"

"Jess." I said allowing her to grasp my hand firmly for a few moments.

"Come in sweetheart, make yourself at home." As Victoria stood to the side to allow my entry, I didn't miss the sly smile and wink she gave James. It made me feel slightly uneasy but I just shrugged it off. I had a job to do.

"Where do you want me?" I asked of no one in particular.

"Just take your clothes off and lie on the bed," Victoria answered. "James will be with you shortly and I'll be sitting here." She said while sliding into a large armchair facing the bed. I nodded and began to undress. I ensured that my leather jacket stayed on the bed, strategically throwing it onto the far corner and deposited the rest of my clothes on the floor. I jumped onto the bed and laid myself in the middle, propped up on my elbows. Victoria was watching me with what could only be described as hungry eyes. I'd never done this before, had someone watch that it is, and I was nervous, not to mention intimidated.

I couldn't understand why such a good looking, obviously sexually driven couple, would feel the need to pick up some low-life, streetwalker to join in on their games but I wasn't at liberty to ask that question.

At that moment James entered from what I presumed to be the bathroom, completely disrobed. Despite the slight paunch I'd noticed earlier, which was plain for me to see now as the beginnings of a beer belly, he was in pretty good shape and his erection was just above average.

"Let's get started." He said moving towards me. I slid my elbows out from underneath me and lay flat on my back with my mind prepared not to feel. James spread my legs with eagerness and got down to it. I had had plenty of practice to know when to make the right noises, and the right times to squirm but in my mind there was nothing. No feeling. What he was doing to me didn't cause me any pleasure. It was just there.

I had to fight hard not to let my mind wander off into sweet nothingness. I had to stay here. I had to make the customer feel like he was the best I'd ever had.

"Baby, that feels so good." I cooed, running my fingers through his hair. It felt greasy between my fingers, no doubt due to the copious amounts of hair gel that he'd used to style it. I let my eyes roll back and bucked my hips slightly.

I chanced a look at Victoria and found that she was sitting in the chair watching us intently, with her robe wide open. She was touching herself. The initial sight shocked me, but once that had subsided I realised I shouldn't have found that odd. If she wanted to watch it was obviously for some form of self-gratification.

I prepared myself for the money shot. I had to fake an orgasm. I centered my mind and focused on what James was doing to me. I moaned. Loud. And began clenching and unclenching my walls sporadically. James continued to lap at me until it subsided. He looked up at me and smirked. Again I found myself trying to suppress a shudder.

"You taste amazing." He purred. I opted for not using words and smiled weakly at him, hoping he'd think it was due to my current weak state after the 'orgasm' he'd just given me. He began crawling up my body, like a strong predator stalking his prey. He reached over to the nightstand and plucked a foil square from it. Ripping it open with his teeth he sat up on his knees and rolled the rubber sheath down his length. Then he moved back down, placing his arms on either side of my head and he kissed me hard and fast. His kissing, like everything else about him, was merely average. I'd had better and was sure I'd have better again.

"I hope you'll enjoy this as much as we will, Jess." He said as he ran his nose along my jaw line before kissing me again with a hunger so deep it made my hairs stand on end. I didn't even get a chance to prepare myself before he thrust into me without warning and I cried out at the initial shock. He took this as encouragement and began to thrust into me rhythmically, slowly at first but then picking up speed as he continued.

Unlike most men that I'd been with, James didn't close his eyes. I figured the rest of them did it out of guilt for their wives or lovers or children. But he didn't have that burden on his shoulders, as his wife was a willing participant in this fuckery. His eyes were glued to mine and it felt like they were burning me. His gaze was hard and unrelenting and in that moment I felt scared. For a moment I was sure I could see a glint of evil behind those blue glittering orbs. I closed my eyes to break the connection and that was when I knew I'd been right.

James' hands were suddenly around my throat grasping so tightly I though my head was sure to come off. My eyes popped open in shock and it felt like they were bugging right out of my head. I brought my hands to his, trying desperately to loosen his death grip. I couldn't breathe and the lack of oxygen into my brain was making everything go fuzzy at the edges. James just laughed as he continued to thrust into me. He laughed harder when I started clawing at his hands.

"You stupid whore! Like you could fight me off!" He snarled. I was beginning to fade. I could feel it. In a matter of minutes I'd be dead. He was right, there was no way I was going to be able to fight him off. Then, in a moment of clarity, I remembered. My gun. I stretched my arms up above my head, glad that James was watching my face, which I presumed was turning an awful shade of purple right about now. Finally my fingers grazed what I'd been looking for. I could feel the leather brush against the pads on my fingers and I grabbed it, holding on like it was my lifeline. Pulling it towards me I fumbled blindly with the fabric trying to find the gun with just my hand. Finally I found it. Quicker than I would have imagined, I pulled it out of the inside pocket, flipped off the safety and brought the barrel to his ribs.

Then I squeezed the trigger. My arm jolted painfully with the force of the blow, but it worked. His grip on my throat loosened and with a groan he rolled off of me. I was intensely thankful for the silencer I'd bought to go along with the gun. Relief swept over me and I let my head slump back into the pillows, relishing the rush of oxygen into my lungs. My throat hurt so much but I couldn't find it in me to care. I could breathe, that was all that mattered. Then I heard the noise that would haunt me forever. A blood-curdling shriek. The shriek of a woman who had just seen her husband die.

I looked up just in time to see Victoria leap up, a look of pure rage and horror filled her face, with eyes full of tears. Her whole body tensed as she prepared to throw herself at me, but my reaction time was faster. I aimed the gun and pulled the trigger, getting her right in the stomach, and watched her body crumple to the floor.

I lay back again as a sudden wave of panic hit me. I had to get out of here. I almost threw myself off the bed and, ignoring the bloody carnage I'd caused, ran around collecting my clothes. I began throwing them on hastily and stumbled my way to the door, when an idea hit me. Money, I needed money. James had gotten changed in the bathroom, hadn't he?

I ran into the bathroom and looked around frantically for the suit he had been wearing earlier. What the hell had happened to me? I was about to rob a guy, who I just shot, nonetheless! Turning around I saw his suit hanging on the back of the door. I made quick work of all his pockets before finally finding his wallet. It was loaded with bills. I pulled them out, rolled them up and tucked them safely into my bra.

As I walked back into the room I didn't dare look back at the scene that I had just caused and headed straight for the door. Instead of making my way to the elevator I searched for a stairwell, finding one at the end of the hallway. I ran down two steps at a time and then pushed through the fire exit.

Once I hit the street I began running like I'd never run before. It felt like my legs were on fire from the pure exertion I was placing upon them just to get me as far away from that place as possible. But I knew this running wasn't enough.

I was a murderer now. I had just killed two people and there was a witness who had seen me arrive with one of them. I had to get out of the state, no, out of the country and fast. Fuck Charlie and his habit. He was just going to have to learn to deal on his own. I was a couple of blocks away from the hotel by now and so I stopped behind a big dumpster and began counting the money I had stolen from James. I had just over a grand. That would do to help me get a disguise for tomorrow.

There was a small family run bank in Washington, away from the many prying eyes of those people who milled around the very center of the city. And tomorrow …

Tomorrow I was going to rob it.

**A.N: So what did you think? Let me know!**

**Love,**

**Rachael!**


	3. An Introduction to Edward Cullen

_**Disclaimer : Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just borrowing her characters for a little while.**_

**IMPORTANT : This chapter was re-published due to problems with the format, sorry for any inconvenience.**

_Hey everyone, here's the new chapter of Lost & Found! I hope you guys enjoy it! I've not really got much to say in this one except that I have some mentions to give. First of all a BIG thank you to my wonderful beta, Naykate! Once again she worked her magic and made this chapter much better than it originally was! Thank you to my big ginger buddy Krissy for pre-reading this chapter and making me feel like what I'm doing is worth while. And last, but by no means least, thank you to all the people that have this story on story alerts and to the people who have reviewed so far, you all make me smile! Now, on with the chapter!_

_Also there are no songs for this chapter! I wasn't at home so my writing wasn't music centric like it usually is! Feel free to come up with your own little play list!_

**An introduction to Edward Cullen.**

Sighing I threw the covers off of my body, it looked like I wouldn't be sleeping tonight … again. Sitting up I rubbed my hands roughly over my face, my stubble scratching my palms. Glancing at the clock beside my bed I saw that it read four thirty a.m. Flopping back against my pillows I shut my eyes and began to think about my miserable life.

I was restless and bored with it all. I'd tried to be the good, decent person everyone expected me to be for the last few months but it was killing me. I was trying to be good enough for my family, the only people I had in my life to love. But it was so damn hard.

I'd been brought up in a family of very high expectation and social standing. My father, Carlisle Cullen, was a top surgeon and my mother, Esme, was a highly sought after interior designer. Everyone from A-list celebrities to the president had asked her to take up projects for them. The Cullen name is respected and one to be worn with pride.

My siblings and I had grown up in a grandiose mansion in Washington. The estate had large gardens full of lush greens and browns, and flowers of every shape, colour and size imaginable surrounded by pebbles dashed with their colours to match. Growing up, we had spent the summer days playing tag and hide and seek getting lost in our surroundings.

My brother, Emmett, was four years older than me, he reminded me of a big bear. He was the kind of guy that looked intimidating, like he would break you in half in a split second, that was until he smiled. He had the dimples of a chubby little three year old even at the ripe old age of twenty-nine. Emmett had done the honourable thing, he had followed our fathers footsteps into medicine. Only his speciality was in obstetrics and gynaecology, more commonly known as OB/GYN, instead of General Surgery.

For years I'd thought he was the luckiest guy in the world, I mean he got to stare at women's vaginas everyday … and not only was it legal, but he was paid to do it. He'd always told me that some of the stuff that went on down there could put you off them real fast but I'd never believed him. That was until he came home one night and googled some vaginal infection and showed me the most disgusting picture I had ever seen in my life. If I hadn't looked away when I did I would have been physically sick. I have never called him lucky since.

Emmett had married straight out of college to his high school sweetheart, Rosalie Hale. She was one of those girls that guys couldn't pry their eyes from when she walked down the street. She was statuesque with long, wavy, flowing blonde hair, violet eyes and a super models figure. They'd been dating since they were juniors and honestly, they were perfect for each other. She was outgoing, quick-witted and at times even volatile, whereas Emmett, he was an eternal joker and care free. They were on totally opposite personality wavelengths and yet, could be great counter actions to one another at the same had chosen a line of work that was considered rather un-lady like, she was a mechanic. She'd always loved cars from a young age and her father had always encouraged her by letting her help out on the cars he kept at home. I'd seen many pictures of Rosalie as a young girl dressed in dungarees that were covered in oil and dirt with her head under the bottom of a car or looking under the bonnet.

She did an Automotive Technology course at the Renton Technical College in Washington and finished top of her class. "R. Hale Motors" was one of Washington's most recognized mechanics. Not only did Rosalie own the business herself but she still did work there from time to time, and considering her gender and looks, that always helped to _attract_ new parents were disapproving of this at first, but there wasn't much they could do about it. Rosalie was not the sort of person who would change for anyone but herself, and more than that, Emmett was happy. I suppose what helped my parents get over it most though, was that due to his profession and her owning her own business, their household earnings were almost as much as my parent's and to them, that was a good and Rosalie had a four year old son, Blake Edward Cullen, and currently had twin girls on the way. Blake was an Emmett junior in the making and a bundle of fun not to mention super energetic. I loved spending time with him, he was a real boys boy. We'd play with his toy cars and wrestle intermittently, and were usually scolded for it. It made me feel young again and it let me escape my problems for a few hours. I could pretend for these few moments that I hadn't done any of the stupid things I had. My twin, Alice, was studying interior design, also doing the honourable thing and following in our mothers footsteps. She was engaged to a history major who attended the same university as she did, Jasper Whitlock. My parents, once again, disapproved of this because Jasper Whitlock was a man from the south, Texas to be exact. But Alice was strong minded and very much in told them that she would be spending the rest of her life with Jasper whether she had their blessing or not.

Although I looked up to Emmett with an undeniable amount of respect, it was Alice that I was closer too. I adored her and would give my life for her in a heartbeat if needs be. When people see us together they would never guess we were twins, or even siblings for that matter. I've been 6 ft 2 since I was seventeen with unruly bronze hair and emerald coloured eyes. Alice on the other hand was 4ft 11 with almost black hair and grey eyes. Where my face was strong, angular and masculine, Alice's was delicate, feminine and pixie like. Esme constantly told people that if she hadn't been the one to give birth to us, she would never believe we were twins a twin came with its pros and cons though. For example talking in sync and freaking people out was always hilarious. However we had no real privacy from each other. I've always had this strange sense that I can read Alice's mind. One time she broke one of the keys on my beloved baby grand and although she denied it, I just knew it was the truth, it was like I could hear her inner monologue. _"Oh my god! He's going to kill me! Just deny it Alice he'll never know it was you! Oh god I really hope he doesn't kill me! I want to live!"_If what she'd been saying in her head hadn't been so funny I might actually have flipped out but I managed to let it go … that time. The next time I chased her around the house and its grounds for about an hour before she finally gave in and let me at her. Lucky for her, by that time I was so tired with all of the running that I merely tickled her for five minutes and was done with Alice, well Alice could see the future. Not hers, not anyone else's. Just mine. When we were about seven, Emmett decided he was going to take me out tree climbing with him. Alice flew down the stairs only moments later, hanging off the front of my shirt telling me not to go because I would get hurt. I'd laughed her off and told her not to be so silly. As Emmett and I had started to leave the house she'd grabbed my arm, staring me defiantly in the eye."Fine! Don't believe me Edward! But…" She paused and traced her tiny finger in a jagged line from the crux of my elbow to just below my wrist. She sighed. "Goodbye little line of skin." She dropped my arm and walked away with tears in her eyes. Tears because I didn't believe her, when I should we were out, Emmett dared me to climb higher than I'd gone before. I didn't want my big brother to mock me or tease me because I wasn't as big and strong as he was. I felt I had to prove myself to him, so I did it. I was about half way up a big oak tree when I lost my footing and fell right back down to the forest floor. I had bruises and scratches everywhere but sure enough there was a large red gash covering the crooked line Alice had marked out on my arm. I'd needed ten stitches that day and Alice, instead of laughing and saying "I told you so!" held my hand while Carlisle went to work with his needle and and Carlisle were not bad people, they had been generous and loving parents. They just wanted the best for their children, even if their view of what was best was slightly dated and skewed.

Since I started school my father had marked out two possible career paths for me. I was to attend an Ivy League school, and from there on I was to become either a doctor, like him, or a lawyer.

I never wanted to be either of those things. Being a lawyer was all about corporate greed and to be honest I didn't fancy spending my life defending people who had done wrong. I was a wrong doer, not a protector of wrong doers. As for becoming a doctor … I'd never fancied it. Even as a small child when I'd been presented with a pretend doctors kit at Christmas, I'd looked at it and then moved swiftly on to things that were much more fun. A couple of months later it was shipped off to charity, I had never once used it. But more than that, I had seen how much of a mental and physical toll it had taken on my father over the years and I didn't want that for myself.

The only true love in my life, the only thing that inspired me, was playing the piano. I'd been playing since I was four and I loved it. It made me feel free, it gave me happiness and it made me feel like I was worth something in the world. My compositions gave me hopes and dreams, but my parents would never allow me to fulfil them.

I could remember as clear as day the argument I had had with Carlisle when I was fifteen.

"_But Dad! Why won't you listen to me?" I was trying as hard as I could to not sound like the petulant teenager I was, but I was failing … miserably. "I don't want to be a lawyer! I don't want to be a doctor! That's not me! I want to play piano. It's the only thing I'm good at and it's the only thing I care about!"_

"_Edward don't be so naïve! If you put some effort in at school, you would be perfectly capable of having a much more illustrious career! Something stable that pays well and will keep you and your future family secure. You'll want for nothing, Edward!" Carlisle's voice was laced with desperation. He was trying to get his message through my thick skull, but I wasn't for having it._

"_That's not what I want, dad! I don't want a normal, boring career! I want something fun! Something I can do and _enjoy! _Why don't you want me to be happy?" I came so close to stamping my foot on the ground like an 8 year old girl throwing a tantrum, I nearly went for the sex change operation right then and there. My fathers face was starting to go a terrifying shade of red. It was then that he really shouted._

"_EDWARD!" He screamed. "Don't be so ridiculous! The only thing I want for you, is to be happy! But in order for you to be happy you need a good job, something respectful, something people will look up to you because of and you will _NOT _get that from playing half decent piano in some seedy bar. I will not see my son grow up to be just another nameless face!" I opened my mouth to argue back but he cut me off. "NO! This conversation is OVER Edward! Get out of my sight."_

I had ran right out of the house that afternoon, at first I'd thought about just staying in the grounds and moping, but had decided against it at the last minute. Instead I left and aimlessly walked the streets of our neighbourhood. It had been that night that I'd committed my first crime. There was a small corner shop that sold newspapers, candies and tobacco. I wandered in and stole myself a bar of chocolate. It was nothing substantial, nothing significant. But it gave me a rush. It made me feel alive and to be honest, I'd enjoyed doing it.

And so that's how it happened. That's what changed my life. I progressed from chocolate bars to jewellery and money and all other sorts of things. I knew it was a terrible thing to, but it was like I was addicted, I just couldn't stop.

But I was trying. I don't know how, but for years I've been doing it and none of my family are any the wiser. However, it was for them that I had stopped. I knew that if I got caught it would tarnish the name they had worked so hard to make for themselves and I didn't want that.

I looked to my right and saw that Tanya was still sleeping soundly beside me. She was a pretty girl, really she was. Most men would think she was beautiful, gorgeous even, so she must have been. She was a model for Christ's sake, but to me, she was nothing special.I'd known her for years. Her mother, Irina Denali, and father, Dr Laurent Denali, were good friends with Esme and Carlisle and because we were around the same age, Tanya, Alice and myself were constantly shoved together when our parents met up. Emmett would always go off with the triplets, Kate, Eleazar and Carmen who were only about a year younger than him, leaving us to our own with Tanya had just … happened. We weren't in a relationship, we never had been, but when we needed a fuck we knew where to find one. You could call it with her served its purpose, but it was nothing ground breaking. I'd never felt a connection with any of the girls I'd slept with but I wasn't bothered about that. As long as I got my kicks, I was just fine … I guess.

Glancing at the clock again, I saw that I'd been lost in my thoughts for almost two hours.

"Fuck it." I sighed quietly and dragged myself out of the bed. I grabbed a change of clothes and headed into my en-suite bathroom. Looking at myself in the mirror, there was no other word to describe me other than rough. I needed to shave badly and I had dark circles around my eyes. I shook my head, stripped off and got in the shower. As soon as the warm water hit my skin it relaxed my body and cleared my mind.

I realized that I couldn't do this anymore. I couldn't be good, I couldn't even be normal. The expectations for me were just too much. I had to go back to the only thing that made me feel … anything. My façade of being a decent human being was officially over.

I knew of a small family run bank in Washington, which had little security and tomorrow …

Tomorrow I was going to rob it.

**A.N: So there you go hope you guys enjoyed it. Bella and Edward will be meeting in the next chapter so look out for that one. I hope you'll be kind and leave a review =]**

**Much love,**

**Rachael.**


	4. Fates Merger

Fates Merger.

This chapter has quite a few mentions! Bear with me! First of all thank you to my amazing beta Naykate, I have no clue where this fic would be without her supreme awesomeness! Thank you to all of my RL buddies who pre-read this monster for me and kept my confidence soaring! And lastly a big Thank you with hugs, kisses and naughty stuff to the wonderful lizconno who has been reviewing this story and may even rec it one day if I get my finger out and post new chapters! If you haven't read her fic "A Labour of Love" then I highly suggest you do, it's written to perfection and is just a fantastic story all round!

Also I'm so sorry for the gap in the last chapter, something must have been up with the formatting, I tried everything but it just wouldn't post right =[. Hopefully that doesn't happen this time!

_Songs for this chapter :_

_Guns & Horses - Ellie Goulding._

_Watercolor - Pendulum._

_**I left my house,Left my clothes,Door wide knows,You're so worth it, you are.**_

_Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses._

**BPOV.**

I was home.

Ask me how I got there and I couldn't tell you. The last thing I remembered was crouching behind a dumpster counting my stolen money. And now I was standing with my back against the front door, panting like I'd been running for miles. I felt light headed and disorientated. I opened the front door and sure enough my car was there. I had driven home. God knows what speed I had been doing, God knows I could have caused some sort of crash, but I was home now and that was all that mattered.

Closing the door I stumbled blindly into the living room before collapsing on to the couch. It was an ancient piece of furniture and it was sagging even with my practically non-existent weight. None of the furniture in this house was new, none of the plates or cutlery or bedding were new. Everything was old and well worn and faded. I hated that. I hated the fact that I had grown up without any privileges or even just new … things. Lying there on the couch, I longed for a different life, for a normal life.

I was a twenty-three year old woman and I couldn't remember the last time I had received a birthday card let alone a birthday present. I had never had a birthday party, I had never been to anyone else's birthday party, I had never gone to the park with my parent's … the list was endless, I had never had any of the things every other child had grown up with. I had missed out on so many rites of passage and it made me feel empty and alone.

And that's exactly what I was. All alone in a big, scary world with no one to hold my hand and no-body to share anything with. I had never had feelings for a man, I didn't know what it felt like to be in love, I didn't know what it felt like to be heart broken. All I knew was whoring myself out for money and loneliness. I lived a truly dismal existence if you could even call it an existence.

I hadn't realized that I'd been lying there just thinking for what must have been hours because the sun was starting to rise. I knew I had to get out of here fast, or at least before Charlie woke up. I pushed myself up on to my elbows and was about to sit up fully when it hit me. Several images flew through my mind in quick succession rendering me unable to move.

James. His face full of anger and rage as he tried to murder me.

James. The look of pain and confusion on his face as I shot him.

Victoria. The look of rage and pain on her face as she ran at me.

Victoria. The scream she had elicited as she ran for me.

Victoria. The way her face contorted as I shot her dead.

Their bodies strewn across the hotel room, blood seeping along the floor and coating the bed sheets as I fled the room.

The vomit came out of nowhere. It bubbled up and came uninvited into my mouth without any warning. I clamped my hand to my mouth as I ran for the bathroom, I made it just in time to throw up violently into the toilet bowl. I knelt there hunched over with tears streaming from my eyes for an insurmountable amount of time.

It was only when Charlie started coughing from the next room that I knew I really had to leave, and soon. Throwing on the shower, I tore off my clothes and got my self clean in record time. I dashed around the house trying to find something, anything to take with me. I ended up with a backpack containing a cell phone charger, a blanket and my well-worn copy of Jane Eyre, it was the only thing I could find in the house that really held any meaning to me. That was all I could muster except from the clothes on my back.

I had gone for the typical 'bank robber' look. Big heavy jacket, sunglasses and baseball cap. I glanced myself over in the mirror, the coat drowned me and my face looked paler than usual and drawn. I sighed. I felt as terrible as I looked.

I headed downstairs and wrote a note for Charlie.

_Dad,_

_I'm so sorry but I've decided to leave. I can't keep living like this. It's not healthy and I just can't find it in myself to do it anymore._

_I hope you'll forgive me one day for leaving you. Maybe, you'll give up drugs and one day we can get back in touch. But right now I don't see that happening._

_I hope you prove me wrong._

_I'll always love you dad, please don't forget that._

_All my love,_

_Isabella._

I left it on the coffee table, knowing he would find it whenever he surfaced for the day. How would he react? I had no idea. He was constantly on such a roller coaster of emotions that he could either loose it and rip the house to shreds, not care at all or be completely broken because the only person he had left … left him behind, just like her mother did all those years ago.

I pushed the guilt to the back of my mind and got in my car, leaving Forks behind, forever.

I abandoned my car in a mall car park ten minutes walk from the bank. I was in a complete trance the whole time, not paying attention to anyone or anything around me. All too soon I found myself at the doors to the bank. I couldn't believe I was doing this. I mentally shook myself trying to clear my mind. I couldn't over think this or I would chicken out, so I took a deep breath and stepped inside, taking my place at the back of the short queue in front of the first teller. It didn't take long until it was my turn to step up to the window.

"Good morning, miss. How can I be of service to you today?" The young man said with a companionable smile on his face. My stomach clenched and my heart stuttered as I contemplated just turning tail and running.

I pulled out my gun just far enough from my inside pocket so that the cashier could see that I meant business. I pushed my bag over to him.

"Put the money in the bag and nobody gets hurt." The strangest thing happened then. My words seemed to echo, but not in my own voice. It was a mans voice. A perfect, velvety voice. I glanced to my right to see a man dressed in attire much the same as I was. Baseball cap, heavy jacket, sunglasses and non-descript jeans.

Despite the fact that we were both wearing sunglasses, I was almost certain we were both staring at each other. Why on earth had the fates decided that I should rob a bank on the exact same day, at the exact same time, in the exact same bank as this guy? Maybe it would give me a higher chance of escaping, he certainly seemed more dangerous than I was.

But maybe that was just wishful thinking.

In my panic filled state after I'd fled the motel room, this had seemed like such a brilliant idea. Now it just seemed like I was doomed. I was robbing a bank in broad daylight. What had I been thinking? How could I have thought I could possibly pull this off?

I brought my attention back to the flustered cashier standing in front of me, frantically stuffing cash into the bag I'd supplied him with. I could hear the faint sounds of sirens wailing in the distance and knew I had to get out of here, now. I grabbed my bag of money out of the cashiers' hands and started running for the door.

If I'd been able to think straight, I might have felt sorry for the poor guy. He was very young looking and had looked absolutely petrified when I'd pulled my gun out, I suppose anyone would be, but if he'd been a new employee it was probably safe to say he'd be getting fired. My thoughts came to a halt, as my escape route towards the exit was being interrupted.

"What are you? An idiot?" Someone grabbed my arm and my heart went into overdrive, I was sure I had been caught. However, when I looked up it was the man who had been doing exactly as I had. He began pulling me away from the front doors. I tried snatching my arm back but his grip was like an iron vice.

"No, I'm not an idiot, I'm trying to escape ... you know? Before I get sent to prison for armed robbery?" I said defiantly.

" Yeah, and leaving through the front door is the best way to do that? They'd catch you before you made it half way down the street. Now move, before you land both our ass' in jail." My instinct told me to be stubborn, I didn't let anybody tell me what to do, but right now I didn't really have any other options and if I was being honest, this stranger intrigued me. So I stopped myself from being dragged and ran with him.

His grip moved from my arm to my hand, intertwining our fingers together. The second our skin made contact it was as though an electric current ran from the tips of my fingers, up my arm and settled in my stomach. It was like some ball of excited energy that was completely distracting me from what I was supposed to be doing.

Luck seemed to be on our side as we headed towards the door that the cashiers used to get behind the desks, as some poor shmuck opened the door just as we neared it. Side stepping the motherly looking woman we ran straight for the fire exit. Pushing through it, the fire alarms started ringing but I stopped paying attention to my surroundings then and there. The mysterious man had picked up his pace and I had to focus otherwise I'd more than likely fall flat on my face and get us caught.

He led the way while I stumbled along behind him, our hands still firmly intertwined together. It felt like I was running through a maze, I was only vaguely aware that we were winding our way down side streets and alleyways, always managing to evade any open space or main roads.

It felt like we'd been running for hours and my legs were starting to shake and were probably about to shut down when we began to slow our pace, eventually coming to a stop beside a very tall wooden fence.

"Ok are you ready?" He asked. I was utterly perplexed.

"Ready for what?" I asked breathlessly.

"For climbing the fence?" The fact that he didn't even seem to be slightly out of breath made me angry for some reason.

"Are you telling me that just after running what can only be described as a fucking marathon, I now not only have to climb a fence, but this fence in particular which seems to be about 50ft high?" I snapped.

"Well… yeah that is what I'm telling you and it's more like 20ft if we're being honest." He replied smugly. I glowered at him.

"Well, tough I'm not doing it." I stated, punctuating my resolve by sitting down on the grass and untangling my hand from his. I felt an instant feeling of loss when I severed our hold on each other.

"Wow, that's a very mature way of dealing with things you've got going there." He said, not able to fully stifle a chuckle, and nudged me with his foot. I swatted at him and turned my head in the other direction, folding my arms across my chest.

I heard him sigh and he sat down beside me.

"Hey." He said quietly, I turned to face him and was knocked for six by what I saw staring back at me. He had taken his sunglasses off and behind them had been hiding the most beautiful pair of eyes I had ever seen. They were big, so big I felt like I could drown in them. They were a beautiful jade color and were oddly hypnotizing, I felt like they were sucking me in. "Look I know today's been hard for you, it's probably been pretty fucking scary too, but the sooner we climb this fence the sooner we're safe. We can have a couple of hours just to calm down before we leave." He said, his voice placating me.

"Leave?" I asked. "Where are we going?"

"Well we're going to have to get out of Washington that's for sure, and then with this money," He said indicating to the stuffed bags we each had. "Hell we could go anywhere we wanted." His voice was full of excitement. I was shocked. I was more than grateful to this man for aiding my escape but, stay with him? I didn't even know him and due to what had just happened to me, more than anything else, I had very little trust in men.

"Em… well … I-I don't know if… em … well I was sort of thinking of … uh … going it alone?" I stuttered stupidly, making my statement sound like a question. His face fell momentarily but he righted himself quickly, putting up his walls in defense.

"Fair enough." He said brusquely and got to his feet. "You might as well come in here with me just now," He motioned to the fence, "let things calm down a bit before you leave." I nodded my head silently and stood up with shaky legs.

Climbing the fence had been hard but I'd managed it with a little help. Once we'd both made it to the other side, we started walking. I had no idea where we were headed, but he must have.

We walked mostly in silence.

"So, have you done this before?" I asked.

"What?" He said without looking at me. It seemed I had really upset him.

"Robbed a bank?"

"Yeah a couple of times." He shrugged, clearly he wasn't going to elaborate, so I put my head down and just kept walking. "Ready for some more climbing?" He asked, I could hear the smile in his voice again. I groaned.

"You've got to be kidding me!" I moaned while he laughed at me.

"Don't worry, it's not a fence this time." He said, still laughing while he flicked his eyes in front of us. Following his line of sight I saw that we were standing in front of a tree house. A tree house that had real stairs that could be used to access it. I smiled.

"I don't think I've ever been so happy to see stairs in my entire life." I said, he started laughing again and so did I. It felt … warm. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed at anything. It was oddly freeing. Still laughing we walked towards the tree house, climbed the stairs and headed inside.

However, when we finally acclimated ourselves with the surroundings the jovial mood disappeared.

"Give me your bag of money over, I'll count it for you." I did as he asked, I'd already hurt is feelings and I didn't want to make him feel worse. He began methodically counting through all our money making small bundles of one hundred dollars to his right for me, and to his left for him. Again silence had found us.

I sighed exasperatedly.

"What's your name?" I asked, hoping we could maybe start over.

"Why are you asking me for formalities when you're so desperate to leave?" He asked without taking his eyes from what he was doing.

"Well maybe if I had some way to connect to you..." I left off lamely. He turned his head and looked at me intensely for several moments. His gaze overwhelmed me and I wanted to look away, my skin felt like it was on fire. But I held my ground and held his stare until he finally relented.

"It's Edward," a quiet giggle escaped my mouth before I could stop it. He shot me an annoyed look and went back to what he was doing. I couldn't help it. 'Edward' was such an old fashioned, prim and proper name, not the name of a 21st century bank robber.

"I'm sorry," I said in a pathetic attempt to redeem myself. I sat down next to him. "I'm Bella."

"Bella? Is that short for anything?" He inquired. I let out an agitated sigh.

"Yes. It's short for Isabella, but please don't call me that. I hate it." I truly did, it seemed like such a formal name and I was anything but a formal person.

"I like it," He said turning his eyes to meet mine, I was helpless against the blush that crept up my cheeks from the intensity of his gaze.

"Yeah, well it's not your monstrosity of a name so it won't seem as bad to you." I huffed.

"Isabella." He drew out my name, like he was testing the way it sounded on his tongue. My heart began to thunder. My name had never sounded so good. His velvety voice made it sound like something dark and erotic, something exciting and forbidden. I tore my eyes from his and started picking at one of my fingernails, I couldn't cope with the thrilling sensation running through me coupled with everything that was Edward.

After a long period of silence I felt, rather than saw Edwards gaze move away from me. I felt over heated and flustered with everything that had transpired in such a short period of time. I felt like my entire body was on fire. I unzipped the thick jacket I had adorned earlier that morning, and pulled the only scarf I had ever owned from around my neck. It was one that I had bought myself mainly as a fashion accessory, not that I was particularly in to fashion but, working like I did you had to ensure you looked good. As a child I'd never been given one to keep me warm in the winter, Charlie hadn't ever been lucid enough to contemplate my well being. A sudden gasp snapped me out of my reverie causing me to jump, quite clumsily, to my feet thinking something was wrong.

I was looking around us wild eyed, searching for some sort of sign that we had been caught when Edward rose to his feet too. His eyes weren't searching for anything, they were glued to me, or more specifically, my neck. It took me a few moments to comprehend what was going on, then I remembered. The bruises James had left me with. My hands jumped to my throat, trying in vain to hide something that had already been noticed.

Edward took a step closer and gently pulled my hands away from my neck, letting them drop to my sides, he brought his hand back up to my face, he hooked a finger gently under my chin and tilted it upwards so that I could only partially see him.

Edward gently ran his fingers along the angry purple bruises and even though his touch was feather light I couldn't help but hiss at the pain it caused. He grimaced and tried to capture my eye contact, but I had suddenly become very interested in the ceiling of the tree house.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered, my eyes snapped to his. "Who did this to you Bella?"

"It's nothing, really. I'd rather not talk about it." I said quietly. I couldn't be sure but I thought I saw a trace of anger flit across Edwards face as I refused to tell him what had happened to me.

"Bella, please tell me. Why would somebody do something like this to you? You're so small … so fragile…" It was my turn to get angry.

"I am not fragile!" I hissed, venomously. " I can take care of myself! I obviously got away, didn't I?" The anger returned to his face, this time it stayed. His eyes seemed to darken and his nostrils flared. He looked terrifying and it made the hairs on my arms and neck stand on end.

"If someone is hurting you Bella, it's unacceptable! Nobody should hurt a woman this way, it's sick and unneeded." His voice was raised, but he wasn't shouting. That made it all the more menacing, but I refused to let him see any weakness on my part. This wasn't something I wanted to talk about. If I told him who had done this to me and why, he would know about what I did for a living, he would know that I was dirty and used and that I did it willingly. He'd call me sick and worthless and turn his back on me. I was so sure of it. So I couldn't tell him. There was something about this man, I wanted to bring him closer to me, not push him away. I knew that arguing with him would in fact cause the latter, but I could fix that. Telling him about my prostitution would create a gap between us the size of the Grand Canyon. I wouldn't be able to fix that. The damage would be ever lasting.

"What the fuck does it matter? He's dead anyway so just leave it alone!" I shouted, in frustration more than anger.

"Dead?" He asked, his tone bemused.

"Yeah, dead!" I tried to say with as much conviction as I could muster. Edwards demeanor changed, it had become obvious to him in that moment that I wasn't going to let him in on that particular story and he didn't like that. Not in the slightest.

"Who killed him? Got yourself a vengeful boyfriend there Bella?" He said spitefully. I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take the way he was looking at me, like he was disappointed in me.

"No. I killed him. _I _did! Do you really want to continue this conversation?" I snarled. Edward stared at me wide eyed, trying to digest the seemingly absurd information I had just given him. Confusion became the dominant emotion on his face before he shook his head slightly and dropped his hands from my face.

"Sorry. I didn't have any right to ask I just … never mind." He said softly before turning away to finish counting the money we had stolen. I sighed, feeling horrible. He'd just been concerned about why something this violent had happened to me and I'd had to turn it into a nasty argument just to protect myself. I flopped down on the floor and opted to silently watch him count. It was a while before either of us spoke again.

"Done!" Edward exclaimed proudly, as he stood up, making me jump.

"How much did we get?" I enquired.

"I have a question first," I was instantly unnerved by his words, "why do you have a blanket in your bag?" He asked holding up the offending piece of tartan material. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks as I tried to look at anything but him and the blanket.

"I just … I didn't know where I was going to end up so I figured I'd take it with me to keep me warm if I ended up … on the streets or something." I finished with a slight shrug. He appraised me for a few moments before he shook his head and laughed quietly to himself. His eyes found mine again just before he answered my initial question.

"Well I think we did pretty well seeing as it was such a small bank. We've got just under fifty grand." He said smiling at me. I couldn't believe it. Having so much money opened up so many new possibilities. My excitement was overwhelming, I couldn't contain myself any longer and I threw my self at Edward, hugging him fiercely. I felt his whole body tense next to mine and I was afraid I'd over stepped my bounds but after a short moment he laughed and hugged me and spun us around. His laughter and the exhilaration caused me to giggle like a 13-year-old girl, but I couldn't find it within myself to care how stupid I may have sounded. I was truly happy for the first time in years and I didn't want this moment to end.

But all good things come to an end.

Edward stopped spinning and set me back on my feet, pulling back from the embrace he smiled down at me, I smiled back but couldn't shake the awkwardness that had begun to settle over the moment.

We stepped away from each other with chagrined expressions and I found myself staring at the ground.

"I'll … just put the money back in the … uh … bags." Edward said nervously from my right. I simply nodded my head not even knowing if he'd see or not. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Edward spoke up again.

"My mother should be gone by now, we should probably go in to the house and get some necessities before we leave."

"Wait! You _live _here?"

"Well not here exactly." He said, motioning to the tree house with that stupid, charming smirk on his face. "But I do live in the house over there." He loosely gestured to the right of where we were currently situated. I didn't really know what to think or say.

"Um okay, we should go then." It was the best I could come up with. I helped Edward stuff the rest of the money into the bags. We each took our own one and headed down the stairs of the tree house. I didn't want more silence so I took some initiative.

"So you have a mother, you've made that clear." I stated bluntly, admittedly after years of not having any friends or enjoyable interactions with other people, my social skills were lacking somewhat. "What about the rest of your family." He laughed yet again. Even though his laugh was melodic and something I would never tire of hearing, I was sure, it was starting to annoy me. Simply because I could never tell if he was laughing at me or with me.

"Very observant, Bella. Yes I do have a mother and her name is Esme. My father is a doctor, Carlisle and I have an elder brother named Emmett who is also a doctor." I was about to make a remark about how his family all seemed to have very old fashioned, yet regal names, when he started talking again. "And I have a twin sister, Alice." He finished. I stared at him unabashedly with my mouth hanging open. He looked at me from his peripheral vision, laughed, and turned his head to look at me fully. Bringing his hand up to my face he used his fingers to push my mouth shut, I squirmed away from his hand and stubbornly kept my mouth wide open. He shook his head at my childish antics and looked ahead of him.

"You have a _twin_?" I finally blurted out.

"Yes I do." He said eyeing me strangely. "Why are you so shocked by that? Have you never met somebody with a twin before? And stop staring at me like that, you're starting to freak me out. You look like some warped version of a blow up sex doll!" I slapped his arm lightly before considering what he'd said.

I had. In fact I'd met several sets of twins. The thing that flummoxed me about Edward having a twin was that surely if he was this good looking then his sister, Alice, must have been equally as stunning. Even though I was only making assumptions, I still couldn't comprehend how the world would be able to cope with their combined beauty without bursting at the seams.

"I have…" I sputtered lamely. "But I just … I mean you … I … I didn't expect it, that's all." The blush returned and I instantly felt like a fool. Why couldn't I stop making an ass of myself and stuttering and blushing like an idiot around this guy? I didn't have much time to contemplate why that was, however.

Moments later I found myself slack jawed again as we walked through the trees to see a mansion in front of us. It was positively huge! It looked more like a castle than a house. It was very old fashioned in appearance, built using red stones and even had turrets, but the house itself seemed as if it hadn't aged a day. It was picture perfect. Above the door was a large stone crest adorned with a rampant lion, three shamrocks and a glove. It was extremely majestic, the name "Cullen" was displayed underneath.

"Cullen." I said quietly to myself. I glanced over at Edward and saw that he too was looking up at the crest.

"It's my family name." He explained.

"Edward Cullen." I tested the name for myself. "Sounds … good?" I said lamely, he laughed.

"Yes I suppose it does. However, it's a name that my family is proud of. So they should be, the Cullen's have always done great things. I on the other hand don't deserve it." He sounded so disheartened, all I wanted to do was hug him into me and take away the pain he was feeling, but before I could even get the chance he was speaking again. "What about you, Bella?" He asked.

"What about me?" I replied, laughing once more as he nudged me with his elbow.

"You really are slow sometimes, you know that, right?" He said playfully as I glowered at him. "What's your family name?" He said, speaking each word slowly and clearly. I shoved his shoulder before answering.

"It's Swan." I said not able to mask the annoyance in my voice.

"Beautiful Swan." He said with a small chuckle. Wait … was he calling me beautiful? The blush rose to my cheeks for what seemed like the millionth time today alone.

"What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well 'Isabella' means 'Beautiful' in Italian. Making you a Beautiful Swan." He said with a smile. I should have known this Adonis like creature would never think of somebody as plain as me, beautiful. I mentally scolded myself for thinking that such a thing was possible.

"Huh," I said, "I never knew that."

"Well now you do. At least it's a fitting description." He said, my head snapped up to look at him but he was already pushing his way through the front door. Now I was confused. Did this mean he thought of me as beautiful after all?

I followed Edward aimlessly as he made his way through a plethora of rooms. Each room was startlingly different, but still held a sense of love and home within it. Somewhere along the way Edward had picked up a small suitcase and was throwing things into it.

"Do you have any other clothes with you Bella?" He asked, suddenly.

"No I don't." I answered simply.

"Well you're probably around about Esme's size…" He muttered heading for a door to our left.

"No, Edward don't be silly. I'll just … buy some new clothes or something." He sighed.

"Bella we can't leave here wearing what we arrived in, we need to look like two normal people who didn't rob a bank this morning. The people who witnessed what we did can't have given a detailed description of our faces, but they'll have our clothes down to a T. And besides, Esme won't mind, she's always complaining that she has far too many clothes and not enough space to keep them in." He said with his crooked smile firmly back in place. I sighed.

"Fine." He led me through the door to our left. It was obviously the master bedroom and had within it the largest four-poster bed I had ever laid eyes upon.

"How can people sleep in that bed without getting lost?" I asked, completely gob smacked. Edward chuckled lightly.

"Carlisle's always complained about it. They have such a huge bed and yet every night they fall asleep beside each other and wake up in the exact same place, leaving the rest of the bed a complete waste of space. Esme says it essential though and that it gives the room some sort of … feel … I don't know. She's an interior designer." He said with a small shrug as he flung open the wall-to-wall closet and disappeared inside. He emerged moments later and handed me a pair of black, baggy three quarter length pants and a white t-shirt embossed with the symbol for "Chanel" along with a pair of black ballet flats.

"Edward! Chanel? Seriously? I can't take this, it had to have been expensive!" I moaned. I hated the thought of taking anything of Esme's but an expensive label? That was taking it too far.

"Relax, Bella. It was expensive, I bought it for her birthday a few years ago and although she thanked me for it profusely … she doesn't like it." He said still smirking. "Now get changed, I'll wait for you outside." And without giving me anytime to argue he left the room.

I got dressed slowly so that could admire the room a little more before I left. I noticed some pictures on the dresser and even though I knew it was rude, I couldn't help but wonder over and take a look. One in particular stood out. It was of a three-year-old Edward beside a girl his age and a boy a few years older, most likely his siblings, but I wasn't particularly focused on them. I laughed softly as I looked at the picture and noted how little Edward had changed. Sure he was smaller and didn't look as mature and masculine as he did now, but his eyes were still the same. They were knowing and felt as if they were penetrating my soul despite the fact it was only a picture.

A knock at the door made me jump. I hastily slid on the ballet pumps and opened the door to a freshly clothed Edward leaning against the frame.

"You ready?" I just nodded my head. "Follow me then." He said and began walking down the hallway.

"There's something I want to show you before we leave." He said tugging me gently in the direction of another door.

"What is it?" I asked. He stopped at the door and smiled down at me, letting his grip move down my arm to my hand.

"I noticed that battered copy of Jane Eyre you had in your bag, I take it you like to read then?"

"Yes I do." I answered truthfully. It was one of the only comforts I had in my life, getting lost in a book for hours on end.

"Well then I think you'll love this room in particular." Keeping my hand in his he opened the door with his other hand and pulled me inside. On the other side of door was a library. The room was large and beautifully adorned with mahogany bookshelves from end to end, with a large mahogany desk and leather office chair placed right in the middle. There were floor to ceiling windows along the back wall, the sun filtered through them lazily making the room appear to have an almost orange glow.

The bookshelves were packed with books, there were no gaps on any of the shelves at all. I gasped as I walked around the room, vaguely aware that Edward was still with me and our hands were still melded together.

There was everything from children's books to medical journals, modern day fact and fiction to the classics. It was like my very own, personal heaven.

When I turned around to face the door I noticed there was a large picture framed in a beautifully carved, wooden picture frame. I walked towards it and found my self looking up at eight of the most beautiful people I had ever set my eyes upon, one of which was still holding my hand.

Who I guessed to be Esme and Carlisle were standing in the very middle of the picture. Esme was stunning and very delicate, Carlisle had a handsome, kind face. The kind that you expected of a father. I guessed Emmett was the very tall, very muscular man with curly black hair and the most adorable dimples. He was standing with his arm wrapped around a beautiful blonde. Her face had the kind of structure that millions of woman around the planet would crave for, with a body to boot. My eyes traveled to who must have been Alice, Edward's twin. She was absolutely tiny and her face held nothing but friendliness, warmth and the slight tint of determination, like she just wanted to prove herself to the world. A tall blonde man with honey colored hair stood with his arm around her delicate shoulders. He was the picture of a gentleman and looked proud to be among those other people. Sitting on the ground in front of the three couples was Edward, looking intensely happy. His eyes were bright and his signature crooked grin was firmly in place. Beside him was a young boy, aged about three or four who just had to be Emmett's son. He was the spitting image of his father, just in miniature. A mischievous smile graced his young face.

"Who are they?" I asked, indicating to the statuesque blonde, the tall and handsome man with honey coloured hair and the young boy.

"The woman with blonde hair is Emmett's wife, Rosalie, the man beside Alice is Jasper, her fiancée, and that little midget," he said happily pointing to the little boy, "is my nephew, Blake. Rosalie and Emmett's son." He finished with a laugh. I smiled up at him.

"You have a very beautiful family."

"Thank you." He said quietly, staring down at me with an almost longing expression on his face. "Well come on, I want to check the news channel before we leave, see if they've got anything on us."

I followed him back down the stairs in to the family room, where he flipped on the T.V and changed it to the news channel. Sure enough they were reporting on the crime we'd committed only a few short hours ago.

There were two artist sketches depicted on screen but neither of them looked a thing like Edward or I. I heaved a sigh of relief. Edward had been right though. When the newscaster read out the descriptions of our clothing they had everything right.

"Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Look I know you want to branch out on your own but, just for tonight, could you stay with me? It would make me feel much more at ease if I at least knew where you were." I thought it over. No one had ever been worried for me before let alone shown that they are worried. Yet over the last couple of hours I'd gotten to know Edward to a point where I actually felt safe in his presence. I found that I actually wanted to stay with him and I couldn't even contemplate leaving him anymore. I smiled at him warmly.

"Of course, Edward." He grinned back at me and took my hand as he stood up.

"Well, we better head out then." And with that he began pulling me along behind him again, only stopping to pick up his suitcase. As we were walking through the hall however, something froze us both in our tracks.

"Edward?" Shit. Shit, shit, shit! I chanced a glance up at Edward and noted that he looked infuriated. He spun around, taking me with him, to face whoever had caught us.

"Tanya," Edward all but snarled. " I thought I told you never to come back here again?" Tanya, who had been observing us both with a confused expression, walked towards us and glared up at Edward.

"I thought it was just something you'd said in the heat of the moment. If you were getting rid of me for some other hussy I'd rather you'd have just told me." She spat.

"Don't you dare talk about her like that!" Edward shouted, before pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger before he continued speaking. This seemed to calm him down. "When I asked you to leave, I hadn't met Bella yet so please don't bring her into this. Besides you know we were never serious about each other so why are you getting so upset?" He said, finally looking at her again. Her face fell when he talked of them not being anything serious to one another and for a moment I almost felt sorry for her, almost. My growing feelings for Edward left me feeling a little bit possessive.

"Oh, well then I guess it was just a misunderstanding on my part then. I'm sorry to have bothered you, Edward. I'll let myself out." Without another word she turned around and walked to the front door. But she obviously wasn't finished.

"And, Edward?" She said turning around slowly. "I might have been nothing to you, but you were something to me." Then switching her gaze to mine she added. "I won't give up without a fight." And with that she left. Edward ran his hand nervously through his hair and shook his head.

"Bitch." He muttered. "Come on, Bella lets go before something else comes up." I wanted to ask him about Tanya, but gathered that now wasn't the time.

Finally we made it to our intended destination. There were only two cars left in the garage, as everyone else must have been at work or school. A silver Volvo and a black Aston Martin sat side by side. I'd figured we'd be taking the Volvo, but Edward had other ideas. Opening the boot to the Aston he threw his suitcase and our bags from earlier inside, before shutting it gently. I stared at him feeling completely baffled.

"What?" He asked.

"Well considering we're on the run from the law, shouldn't we take a less ostentatious car?" I asked. Gesturing towards the Volvo. He moved to stand in front of me and cupped my cheek with his large, warm hand.

"Bella, didn't you see the news? They have nothing on us. We're safe. So we might as well go out in style." He said with a grin, taking my hand and leading me around to passenger side. He opened my door for me and waited for me to sit down, before closing it again and making his way around to the drivers' side.

It took a long time to get to the bottom of the Cullen's drive way but soon enough we were out on the open road, heading away from the city.

"Where are we going?" I asked after realizing I had no idea where we were headed.

"Charlottesville in Virginia. I figured it was far enough away from all the drama but close enough so that we didn't need to drive for hours. I made reservations for a hotel there earlier, while you were getting changed."

"Oh, ok." There wasn't anything to say, everything had been taken care of. So I just sat back and watched the scenery change periodically out of the window. We talked every now and then, but the silences weren't as awkward as they had been earlier. We were more comfortable with each other now and it was showing.

After about two hours of driving we made it into Charlottesville and Edward navigated the way to the hotel. As we pulled up a valet approached the car with a couple of bellboys in toe.

"Good evening Sir, Madam and welcome to the Doubletree Hotel. May we be of any assistance with your bags?" Edward hastened to answer.

"No, no. We can take the bags, we're traveling light this evening." He said with a charming smile.

"Very good, Sir." The valet replied with a smile. "May I park your car for you?"

"Sure, just give us a moment to grab our things from the boot." Edward said, handing over the keys, and leaning back inside the car to press the boot release.

I took my backpack while Edward grabbed both his backpack and his suitcase and we headed inside. The receptionist was just as welcoming as the valet had been.

"Good evening," She said with a stellar smile. "Welcome to the Doubletree hotel, my name is Heidi, how may I help you this evening?" Edward returned her smile and I tried desperately to quell the feeling of jealousy that had irrationally surfaced within my mind.

"Yes, thank you. We have reservations."

"Very good Sir, under what names?"

"Uh…" Edward stuttered, a light pink flushing his cheeks and ears. Was he embarrassed? Finally regaining composure he answered Heidi, who had been looking at him expectantly. "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen." My jaw dropped as Heidi nodded her head and began typing the names into the computer in front of her. Edward gave me a warning look and I shut my mouth, I moved closer to Edward and linked my arm through his. If I had to pretend to be Mrs. Cullen, I might as well make it look convincing.

"Ok, here we are," Heidi said after a moment. She stood up from her desk and moved over to retrieve our room keys and some paper that had just been sent to the printer. She returned to the desk and set them down in front of us. "You're in suite one-two-eight, here are your keys and if you could both give me a quick signature here, you can both head off to your room." She said, with a warm, knowing smile. I blushed and averted my eyes. Edward signed the sheet of paper and slid it across the desk to me. I kept a chant going in my head _'Isabella Cullen. Isabella Cullen. Isabella Cullen.' _It would have been the icing on the cake if I'd signed my actual name. Once I was done I slid the paper back over to Heidi and she gave it a quick look over. "Ok that's great. If you need anything, feel free to call the reception desk at anytime, there's always someone here. The number is in the envelope along with your room keys. In your room you'll find a menu for our restaurant and room service, again feel free to call for room service at anytime, there's always a cook on hand. I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen." She said with another smile before turning to answer the phone that had just started ringing.

Edward and I headed for the elevator and slid inside, I waited for the doors to close before I began speaking.

"Mr. and Mrs. Edward Cullen?" I asked, my tone coloured in amusement. Edwards cheeks flushed again as he shrugged his shoulders.

"It meant we could avoid any questions about us being a couple or for how long we'd been together. That's also why I didn't book the honeymoon suite, although I was tempted I just had visions of us being asked when we got married and us both giving different answers." He said with a laugh and shake of his head, I laughed along with him. It was something I could easily see us doing. The elevator stopped and we headed to our room. We settled down and each had a shower. It wasn't particularly late and I didn't know if we'd be venturing out for dinner, so instead of dawning the white fluffy robe that was hung on the back of the door, I got back into my clothes.

When I walked back into the room Edward was lying on top of the covers on the bed, flipping aimlessly through the television channels. When he saw me, he patted the space next to him and turned off the T.V, sitting the remote on his bedside table. I lay down next to him and waited for him to strike up a conversation.

"So, you asked me about my family, does that mean I can ask about yours?" Edwards words surprised me. I'd almost forgotten about our conversation other than it's brief resurfacing when I'd observed the family picture in the library.

"Sure but there isn't much to tell." I shrugged.

"Go on then." His voice was challenging, but in a soft manner.

"I'm an only child, my mother left when I was four and I haven't been in contact with her since, her name is Renee." I added remembering how he had detailed his family's names as he'd talked me through them. "My father is Charlie and I was living with him up until today. See, I told you there wasn't much to tell." I said with another shrug of my shoulders. Edward raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. His expression changed though, to one of empathy.

"I'm sorry about your mother leaving, that must have been pretty hard." He said softly. I shook my head.

"It was in the beginning. I was young and didn't really understand, now I'm older though I can see how much of a callous, self absorbed bitch she really was. So it doesn't bother me so much, it just bothers me because of what it did to my father." Edward nodded his head sympathizing with how something like that must have affected Charlie, If he only he knew the lengths of what it had done.

"So what did they do for work? I understand if you don't want to discuss your mother anymore. I'm just trying to … figure you out I guess."

"I don't mind talking about her, just don't expect to hear me singing her praises." I said with a wry smile. "Renee didn't work." I lied easily. It was only a half-truth to be fair, she hadn't worked when she had been with my father and although I'd heard the rumors, I couldn't be one hundred percent sure of her current line of work unless I saw it for myself. "Charlie used to be the police chief of Forks, that was before my mother left. After that happened he just stopped going to work." I said, Edwards bark of laughter had been the last sound I'd expected to hear.

"An ex-police chiefs daughter turned to a life of crime? Oh the cliché!" He continued to snicker. I rolled my eyes and looked away, I wasn't really in the mood for his teasing. Charlie's loss of career would always be a sore spot for me. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He said finally catching his breath. "I shouldn't have laughed. I'm a dick." He said taking in my less than amused expression. I sighed.

"It's ok, I can see what you found funny." I smiled slightly, letting him know he was forgiven for his moment of hysterics. I was wracking my brain for a subject change when Edward saved me the hassle.

"So, Isabella Swan." He said in a tone of mock seriousness. "Do you have a middle name? And if so what is it?"

"Marie… it was my paternal grandmothers name." I added, taking a pre-emptive strike on what I was sure would be his next question. "What about you?" He grinned at me.

"Ha! I'm not going to give it up as easily as you did, Beautiful Swan." He said shaking his finger at me playfully. "If you want to know, you've got to guess." I scowled, I hated guessing games. My scowl only served to make him laugh again, however.

"We could be here for years if I've got to guess! For a start I've got a one in more than a million chance of actually getting it right, and more to the point I suck at guessing games! Although, seeing as I answered your question like a grown-up and not a child, I think I deserve a clue." I said smugly, happy that for once I'd been the one making some form of insult, instead of it being the other way around. He smiled.

"Fair enough, you do have a point. It starts with an "A" and it's not a girls name. There you go, not one clue, but two."

"That narrows it down." I huffed.

"Come on, Bella. Don't be a spoiled sport." He said, nudging me in the arm. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." I said, drawing out the word. "Andrew?"

"Nope."

"Alan?"

"No."

"Alexander?"

"Wrong."

"Aaron?"

"Wrong again." I closed my eyes, I was already growing bored with this game.

"Archibald?" I asked, barely concealing my devious smirk. He spluttered, choking on a laugh.

"Swan, are you serious? Who, in this day and age names their child Archibald? Even if it's only a middle name I'm pretty sure it qualifies as child abuse." He said in mock horror, I couldn't stop the giggle that escaped.

"I took a shot in the dark." I shrugged, still smiling.

"Jesus … Archibald." He muttered to himself. "Right, one more try, go on."

"Um … Alvin?" I asked not able to stop myself laughing over the words. He rubbed his hands over his face trying to stifle his laughter.

"What would you say if I said yes?" I mimicked his earlier actions and choked on my own laughter.

"Your middle name is Alvin? As in, like Alvin and the chipmunks?" I asked in disbelief. His roar of laughter reverberated around the room.

"No! I was just making a point. It's Anthony." I slapped his arm.

"Could you not have just told me that in the first place? Now my brain hurts from trying to locate names that begin with an 'A'! I don't even know anybody who's name begins with an 'A'" I whined somewhat petulantly. His laughter filled the room again and he shifted to lean on his elbows as he looked down at me.

"Christ, you're some piece of work, Swan." He said softly. He looked so beautiful in that moment that I was overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions that ran through my body. His green eyes were alight as he looked down at me, his smile delicate and mesmerizing. I realized belatedly that I had been staring unabashedly at his lips. My cheeks flooded again as I snapped my eyes back to his, his expression had changed. Now a slight frown was creasing his brow as he stared at me intently. His own gaze flickered down to my lips momentarily and my breath caught in my throat.

He shifted, putting an arm on either side of my head so that his torso was hovering over mine. He nudged my legs apart with his knee and settled in between them, so that our bodies were more or less flush against each other.

"I've wanted to do this all day." He whispered. He lowered his head, until our foreheads were gently pressed together, his breath washed over me, making me feel intoxicated. I licked my lips in anticipation. I didn't have to wait long, he lowered his lips to mine in a slow gentle kiss. He pulled back slightly and took in a deep breath with his eyes still shut before moving back in to kiss me with more force.

Kissing Edward was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. All I could focus on was him, the way his body felt against mine, firm, strong and safe, the way his hair felt in between my fingers, the small moans and groans he elicited were like a harmony to my ears, exciting me in a way I'd never thought possible. His mouth opened and I felt his smooth tongue run across my bottom lip, I opened my mouth all too willingly and our tongues met in a crazed dance for dominance.

He pulled back again, gazing down at me appraisingly.

"It was worth the wait." I grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt and pulled his mouth back to mine. I felt like an addict, I couldn't get enough of the sensations. His hands were everywhere, roaming and exploring every inch of my body, my clothes were the only barrier between me and what I wanted. I wanted Edward like I had never wanted anything before in my life.

Like he was reading my mind, Edward shifted onto his knees bring me up with him, our mouths never losing contact. His large hands moved to the hem of my shirt and slid deftly underneath feeling the soft skin of my stomach, I couldn't stop the moan that escaped me. It felt like millions of butterflies had taken up residence in my stomach and all they wanted to do was escape.

With practiced hands he pulled the shirt over my head and threw it away. I shivered when the cold air touched my skin, but it didn't last for long as Edwards hands began exploring the expanse of my back, heating every nerve ending I never knew existed.

We continued removing each others clothes for quite some time, it was a very sensual experience as we both explored every inch of one another's bodies. At long last we were lying down again, his body pressed against mine, fitting into my body like a jigsaw puzzle.

He placed a gentle kiss on my collarbone.

"I promise, I'll never let anybody hurt you again, Bella." He whispered before he brought his lips back to mine and entered me slowly. My back arched at the feel of him inside of me and my hips bucked, involuntarily, to meet his. For the first time in my entire life I felt like I had a purpose, I felt whole and content and exhilarated.

My purpose was Edward and everything that came with him.

**A/N: Before anybody says anything about the lack of contraceptives used in this chapter, there is a reason, which will become apparent later on in the story. However, I feel the need to add that I'm a total advocate for safe sex. I've only used it here because it's a natural part of this story. Also, yes Bella is in on the pill … but still … that's not 100% fool proof.**

**Also there is a bit of a fudging of the lines in this chapter. I am aware that to get from Forks to Washington D.C it would take over a day, even if you were to drive continuously. But I feel that in this story it's not so much the locations that count, so please over look this, especially considering I come from a country where it takes only just over THREE hours to get from side to side! **

**There's a slight hint in this chapter as to where thing's will end up with these two; I wonder if anyone picked up on it! Leave your guesses in a review =].**


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